Hand-operated toilet fan



July 17, 1923. E. W. WISCH ET AL HAND OPERATED TOILET FAN Filed May 1l. 1921 un i n. {IWIIIIJU i Patented .fully l?, i923..

narran trarre `ortica.

EDWARD W. 'WISCH AND WALTER J". WISCH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES, SIDNEY C. VVINCENT, AND FREDERICK C. VOLKMAN, BOTH OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

HAND-craftsmen y. roILnr FAN. i

Application led May 11, 1.921: Serial No. 468,466.

This invention relates to improvements `1n hand operated fans. 'y

The class of fans towhich the invention belongs is ythat in which a fan shaft is mounted in suitablebearings in an appropriate casing, and through `a suitable gear train within the casing, is given a fast ron tary motion, by the manipulation of a reciprocatory plunger.

In our application filed simultaneously herewith, we have shown and described a fan mechanism of this character, in which application stress is particularly laid upon the mechanism for clutching or locking they main driving gear to its shaft so that it will engage and move with the shaft in one direction, whereas in thepresent instance, the improvement resides in the manner of attaching the fan blades to the fan shaft.

The object of the present invention is to so attach the blades to the fan shaft that they willfbe thrown automatically to their respective open positions upon the manipulation of the actuating plunger, and remain in open and properly spaced position so long as thefan shaft is being rotated, but when the fan shaft stops the wingswill automatically, or of their own accord, drop back to folded position, thus obviating the necessity Ain the first instance of opening the wings, to theirproperly relative ork three way position, and adjusting or holding them in such position prior to their rotation.

lfn the ordinary constructions, the wings have to be separately brought to proper open position and there held either by a clamp or by reason of some peculiar formation of the inner ends of the fan blades. They also have'to be folded manually for packing the fan, or'for putting itinto the ocket or other receptacle, when not in use. lnless the fan blades are properly spaced and of equidistance apart, they will cause a very awkward and uncomfortable vibra- M tion when the fan is in motion. Hence the necessity and advantage of thepresent construction in which the wings are forced to their properly spaced open position, and with the construction there is the advantage of not having to manually'fold the wings when the fan is stopped.

In the drawings illustrating the inven- 1 tion- Fig. 1 is aperspective view ofthe fan. Fig. 2 is a face view.

Fig. 3 is a detailed broken view of one of` the inner ends of the fan blades showing the form of washer used to retain the inner ends of the blades in proper position relative to each other.

F ig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the casing and some of the parts contained there- 1n, `as well as a section of the boss which is mounted upon the fan shaft, and

Fig is a face view of the wings in folded A position.

Since the invention of this application does not reside in the arrangement of the internal parts of the fan, they will be but generally described.

p Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates a casing of any suitable shape, and of any suitable material, but preferably round, as shown, and preferably made of thin metal-enainelled, japanned orlacquered, as fancy may dictate. vvMounted in suitable bearings in the casing just off center is the main driving shaft 2 which carries a. pinion 3, tight upon the shaft. This pinion is engaged by the rack 4 of a plunger 5 which is provided on the outside of the casing with a thumb or finger rest 6. A'bracket 7 is provided on the inside of the casing, which has in it a kerf 8 to receive the lower end ofthe plunger. Rigidly attached to the lower end yof theplunger is a bracket 9 to` which is attached at one yend a spiral spring 10and the other end of the Spring being attached to an eye 11 on the inner periphery of the casing.`

Mounted on the shaft 2 to one side of the y pinion is a boss 12, grooved as indicated at i, to the lug y wing- 25 ,is

sufficiently to prevent lost motion. AThe mechanism is such that the driving gear will be locked to the boss only when the boss is turnedY in one direction. The driving gear meshes with a" pinion 18 carriedy by the fan shaft 19 journalled in suitable bearings in the lower part of the casing, the front end of the shaft being reduced to form' a stem 20 embraced by the boss 21 provided at its outer end with a flange 22 of sufiicient area to cover a suitablel part of the lower end of the outerfan blade. The boss is further provided at` its inner end with an annular Aupon other, and the outer blade 25 is fiange 22 by a pin28 so that its outer blade must` move with the boss whenever therfaii shaft is rotated. 4The y provided at its inner end with a projection 29` adapted to engage with an outwardly extending lug` 3.0 upon the intermediate wing, and the wing 25 is further provided atits edge with a` lug 341 similar to enga-ge the edge of the unpinned to the Ider neath or 4,lower wing 27 when the fan blades are in extended or opened position.

Two of the wings are,I as stated, loosely lmounted on the boss,

that is to say, they can move quite freely thereon. Normally the wings are in the folded or inoperative position, shown in Figure 5, but when the plunger is depressed, through the train of ygearing inr the casing, the fan shaft with its boss 21 will be rapidly rotated, vand the `blade 25 being compelled by the pin connection ywith the boss will be carried quickly away from itsl normal position, leaving for the moment the-other two blades, but when the fan blade 25 has been carried for a short distance, the projection 29 thereon will enf dage lthe lug 30 on the fan blade 26, and t us lock these two blades for simultaneous rotation, and simultaneously, the lug 31 L will engage the edge ofthe blade 27 at which point the blades will be properly spaced apart, and the fan established for' operation, and obviously, further rapid rotation of the i fanholds all of the blades in the position lshown in Figuresl. and 2, but when the rotation ofthe `fan 'shaft ceases, the blades all fall to normaly or folded position, or the po;V

sitio'n shown in Figure 5. lIn .operation the plunger 1s depressed against the resistance of the spring 10, and

by reason of the engagementof its rack with th'epinil n 3, the driving shaftwill be rapid'- ly rotated, and as before suggested, in the outward movement oftheplunger, the driving wheel will be locked' to the boss, and *he gear being in mesh with the pinion 18, the fanV shaft will be rapidly rotated?,- but upon'A the upward movement of` theI plunger, the clutch is releas'ediund'erf 'whi'chJconditiom the drivingwheel may rotate independently of the boss, and as mentioned above, the rapid rotation of the fan shaft will cause the fan blades to' instantly assume, coming from folded position, theopen or operative position, inV which position they willi be held by their various enga-gements, which have been, indicated.

The washers and 24 are preferably simil-ar in construction, an'll'a's best shown in Figure 3, they are provided With an Ienlarged circular opening '32, rwhich merges into a smaller opening 33 which is lOrmed `in `the'c'entral part of the washer, and `which part `rests `in the annulargroove in the' boss, to which it is applied to set the washers in place', it is only ne`c`,`es"sa'ry to project' theend of the boss throug'fhy thelarger opening and then slide the washer laterally until' theed-ge of 'its smaller opening seats in the groove in the boss;

Claims:v V y Y ,j 1. `In a dfan of the character'deseribed, the

`cornloinatiori' withV Va fan shaft, and means forl drivingi said shaft, aj series of fan blades carried byA the shaft, 'one of the blades ha'ving positive connection withvth'e shaft, `and plurality of means carriejdbytl'ie positive ly `Iconnected blade adapted to cooperate with the remaining 'blades vv hjere'by'-'each of the remaining blades is'for'ced by `said means to open or,` unfolded Aposition and carried withthe `fixed blade upon. the rotation of the fan shaft. y, j ,n ,n

2. 'In a fan ofthe character described, in combination, a 4suitable casing, a fan shaft j ournalled in said casing,`means for impart,- ing'` continuous rotation of the fan shaft, a series of fan blades mounted upon the shaft, one of which is fined tov the shaft, 'a projec tion at the inner end of "the fixedblade Yariel a lug carried byanother blade adapted to be engaged by said Aprojection whereby the blade so engaged will rotate with the fiXed blade, and a lug at the edge v'of the hired blade adapted to engage another blade whereby when all lof theV projections and lu'gsfare in enfggagernent,` the blades will be compelled to rotatetogether in properly spaced open position. A i

3. In a fan of the character" iescribtechfin combination, a suitable casing,"a fan shaft journalled in said'casing, meansv for imparting a rotary motion to'the Afan shaft,`a series of fan blades carried byv the shaft, the Vouter lone of which has positive connection with j the shaft, a projection at' the 'inner end of projection, a lug carried by the outer blade adapted to engage the edge of the lowermost blade, whereby all of the blades when such engagement is affected are compelled to rotate together in properly spaced open position.

4. In a fan of the character described, in combination, a suitable casing, a fan shai't journalled in said casing and means for iinparting rapid rotary motion to the fan shaft, three fan blades carried by the fan sha-tt Outside the casing, the outer blade being provided with a projection at its inner end and an inwardly extending lug on one edge thereof, a lug carried by the yintermediate blade adapted to be engaged by the projection on the outer blade, whereby when said lugsand projections are so engaged, all of the wings are caused to be locked together in properly spaced open position for simultaneous `ro-` tation. A j

5. In a` fan of the characterdescribed, in combination, a suitable casing, a fan shaft journalled :in the casing, means for imparting rotary motion to said shaft, a boss carried by the 'fan shaft outside the casing, a series of wings mounted on the boss, one `of which is pinned to the boss so that the wing is caused to rotate with the boss7 a plurality 0f means equally spaced on opposite sides of said wing carried by the outer wing7 each of said means cooperating with a respective other wing whereby when they are t brought to opened or unfolded posltion,'all of the wings will be caused to rotate together in properly spaced position.

EDWARDv W. VVSC'H. t WALTER J. WISGH. Witnesses: t

CHAS. W. MARSH, SIDNEY C. VINCENT. 

